Murray Verso’s Presentation on End Polio Now
On Tuesday members attending were privileged to listen to Murray Verso’s excellent presentation concerning Rotary’s signature program – End Polo Now. Murray is the End Polio Now Co-ordinator for Zone 8 (Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific Countries), and has recently been appointed to be the lead facilitator for the training of incoming End Polio Now Co-ordinators. At The Global Philanthropy Seminar, to be held in Evanston April 2025, by Rotary International.
In his presentation, Murray gave us an overview of how prevention and treatment of polio has progressed over many decades until the present. Two Australian’s featured prominently in these areas. They were:
 President Peter Moore, Joanne Shentu, Murray Verso & Michael Hills |
1. The 1960 joint Nobel Prize Winner Sir Macfarlane Burnet (with Sir Peter Medawar from the UK) who had previously been involved in research that identified 3 ty
pes of polio virus. Two of these 3 types appear to have been eliminated leaving only Type1 – apparently the most serious of the three types of polio – yet to be completely eradicated.2. Sister Kenny – the self-trained bush nurse who questioned the medical orthodoxy of the day’s views on the treatment of polio, subsequently bringing about change in what the best or better way is to treat it.
Murray also gave us an overview of Rotary’s role in bringing about the now worldwide commitment and action to eliminate Type 1. This would have helped us to sort out the differing views on how Rotary became involved in this task. Against the views of numerous bodies who thought that the elimination of polio was not possible, Rotary ran a pilot program to test whether such a program was feasible. Its success helped to convince bodies like the WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR that the elimination polio was not just feasible but achievable.
This has now led to essentially a world-wide commitment to, and the associated funding needed (witness the involvement of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in providing up to $100 million dollars US on a two for one basis to match Rotary contributions to ending polio. Of up to $50 million dollars US on an annual basis), to bring about the achievement of this aim.
From what Murray was also saying it appears that despite the recent increase in vaccine induced polio, the introduction of a more stable vaccine will lead to this sad side effect of immunisation becoming a thing of the past. Coupled with a realisation by various parties in conflict areas that vaccination 
against polio must, in the interests of all of them, continue the complete elimination of polio whether wild.
against polio must, in the interests of all of them, continue the complete elimination of polio whether wild.Michael Hills